Demonstration to be held in Sheffield calling for £10 an hour minimum wage

George Torr, Multimedia Reporter

A demonstration will call for a wage boost for all workers in Sheffield to receive £10 an hour.

The Sheffield Trade Union Council said not a single shop employee working in Sheffield city centre receives above the National Living Wage of £8.25 an hour and the city workers 'suffer lower pay rates than any other city in Britain'.

The 'Sheffield Needs a Pay Rise' rally will begin in Devonshire Green in Sheffield city centre from 1pm with speeches from Heeley MP Louise Haigh, former Green Party leader, Natalie Bennett and a range of trade union officials.

Rally organiser said the demonstration was also a call for big retail firms who employ people in the city to recognise trade unions.

Martin Mayer, secretary of the Sheffield Trade Union Council said: "Many of the employers in Sheffield are household names so they could afford to pay more but don’t. They could recognise trade unions, but don’t. It’s not just the workers who suffer. It’s their families and their communities who are worse off.

"It affects Sheffield’s economy if ordinary families can’t make ends meet. It’s time something was done about it. If we in the trade union movement don’t do this, then nobody will.

"Sheffield Needs a Pay Rise” ampaign is aimed at all workers, not just those on the minimum wage. Most workers have seen their pay packets fall in real terms since the Crash – and working families are worse off across the city. Sheffield TUC is supporting workers forming a trade union and taking action to fight for a pay rise."